Innovations Lead

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About TaRL Africa

Position: Innovations Lead

Reports to: Director, Program Design, Pedagogy, and Innovations 

Location: Nairobi (preferred) or any Sub-Saharan African country. The position is open only to nationals/citizens of the country of application and will be offered on a local contract.

Deadline: 2nd October 2025

TaRL Africa initiative is hosted by Empower Learning Africa, a not-for-profit organisation registered and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with teams in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia and locally registered offices in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. TaRL Africa began as a joint venture by Pratham and J-PAL in 2019, with the goal of supporting governments and organisations across Africa to accelerate children’s foundational skill learning using the evidence-based “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL) approach. TaRL Africa's vision is for every child across Africa to have foundational skills so that they can have a better future. Our mission is to ensure education systems effectively equip children with these foundational skills. 

We support governments and organisations in over 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to design, deliver and scale impactful TaRL programmes while learning and sharing how the approach can be improved for different contexts. Together with partners, TaRL Africa has reached over five million children with TaRL programming. 

Summary of the Role: 

TaRL Africa seeks an experienced and visionary Innovations Lead to spearhead the continuous improvement of instructional design and learning outcomes across its programs in Africa. This central team role is crucial for identifying, designing, and rigorously testing novel pedagogical approaches and learning materials. The Innovation Lead will play a key role in ensuring that TaRL's pedagogical approaches and content are at the forefront of evidence-based practices, responsive to diverse contexts, and scalable for widespread impact. The TaRL approach helps children develop basic reading and numeracy skills. In TaRL classrooms, children are assessed on basic reading and numeracy using a simple tool ; grouped by learning level, rather than by grade, for a dedicated time when they focus on building foundational skills through activities and materials appropriate for each group. As children progress, they move to the next learning group and continue to grow. 

Duties and responsibilities:

1. Drive Measurable Improvement through Pedagogical Innovation and Research

• Lead the design and rigorous testing of new and innovative approaches to instructional design, teaching methods, and learning materials.
  
• Oversee qualitative and quantitative data collection from field sites to inform the innovation and development cycle.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to refine methodologies for piloting and scaling new ideas.
  
  

2. Translate Empirical Insights into Actionable Program Enhancements

• Analyze and synthesize research findings and field data into clear, actionable recommendations for design and implementation teams.
  
• Prepare strategic proposals, briefs, and memos to improve program processes and strengthen pedagogy.
  
• Ensure innovations are grounded in empirical evidence and aligned with organizational goals and educational outcomes.
  

3. Ensure High-Quality, Outcomes-Focused Learning Material Development

• Provide expert pedagogical input and quality assurance throughout the lesson and materials development process.
• Ensure that materials are objective-driven, teacher-friendly, and designed to improve pupil learning outcomes.
  
• Support the integration of innovation insights into core instructional content.
  

4. Cultivate Field-Level Learning and Inform Central Strategy

• Conduct regular school visits and engage with country teams to maintain a nuanced understanding of field realities.
  
• Capture field-based needs, challenges, and successes, and channel them into the central strategy and design process.
  
• Foster strong feedback loops between country teams and central functions.
  

5. Foster Team Excellence and Strategic Knowledge Management

• Support the professional development and performance of Learning Innovation Officers and other relevant team members.
  
• Ensure strong systems for field data collection, cleaning, and analysis to support timely and strategic decision-making.
  
• Contribute to an organizational culture of learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

6. Other Duties

• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the line manager in alignment with the role’s purpose and organizational priorities.

Qualifications and experience:

• Postgraduate degree (Master's or PhD) in Education, Curriculum Design, Educational Research, or a similar/relevant field with a strong focus on pedagogy and learning
• A minimum of 5 years of significant, relevant experience as a teacher, field researcher, or instructional designer in an educational setting, with a proven track record of driving continuous improvement in primary school education.
• Demonstrated experience in leading or significantly contributing to rigorous research initiatives, including study design and data analysis (qualitative and quantitative).
• Strong knowledge of current learning developments, applications, and their impact on teaching and learning methodologies.

TaRL Africa Values 

1. We put children’s learning first
2. We are always learning, improving, and innovating
3. We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact
4. We are kind, respectful, and collaborative
5. We are proactive, committed to integrity, and doing our best each day

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff.  Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational needs.